Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge

The Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge is a wildlife crossing over Wurzbach Parkway in San Antonio's Phil Hardberger Park that opened on December 11, 2020. The project cost $23 million and is designed for both wildlife and pedestrians. Construction began on November 26, 2018, and was originally expected to end in April 2020.

Design

At 189 feet (58 m) long and 150 feet (46 m) wide, it is the largest wildlife bridge in the United States as of December 2020. With 8-foot (2.4 m) tall, noise damping corten steel walls on both sides, the bridge is designed to appear to crossers as a small hill. The bridge has a 250,000-US-gallon (950,000 L) underground cistern to keep the bridge's plants irrigated via rainwater.

On April 5, 2021, a footbridge called the Skywalk opened which starts at the top of the land bridge and winds through the park's trees.

Animals using the bridge

Although animals had already been spotted crossing the bridge as of early 2021, wildlife traffic is not expected to substantially increase until the foliage planted on the bridge grows thicker.

As part of a five-year study, the Parks and Recreation Department documents wildlife using the bridge. As of November 2021, species include the Virginia opossum, cottaintail rabbit, white-tailed deer, coyote, rock squirrel, fox squirrel, rat, raccoon, armadillo, bobcat, gray fox, and axis deer.

See also

• Wildlife crossing § Examples

References

External links

• Media related to Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge at Wikimedia Commons
• Map of the bridge

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